Christmastime is Killing Us

Snowflake

Nightwing finished making Jinx's and Shirley's teas before taking his coffee to the roof.

A minute later, Shirley arrived and saw Raven meditating. She smiled and made Rita a cup of coffee before getting to work on breakfast. Rita and Jinx walked in, quietly laughing and all three spoke.

Rita began telling them a story about Changeling when he was younger as Shirley made biscuits and Jinx fixed Cyborg's coffee.

Jinx finished and took her tea to go, snickering about her grass green gaming friend on the way.

"Okay, Nana." Rita set her coffee mug aside. "What are you making with your famous biscuits?"

"I'm frying up eggs and country ham (tofu bacon for our Gar)." Shirley said smugly. "Lola told me they have a bunch of jam from canning this harvest so there's sweet and savory."

"I cannot wait to eat." Rita was dead serious.

"Me either." Cyborg yawned as he stepped into the room, flipping through the newspaper.

"Good morning, Bugs." Shirley held her face out so he'd kiss her cheek. "How'd you sleep?"

"Mornin, Nana. Your grandson kept me up."

"Did he now?"

"Yeah, Marco screamed every three hours."

"I'm sorry to hear that, baby. Is something going on?"

"Hey, Ms. Rita." He grabbed his coffee and took a sip. "I don't know what his problem is. He reminds me of his brother. He just wants to be held."

"Good morning, Cyborg." Rita murmured. "I'm sorry to hear about your son. I thought things were going well with you. When Clark was complaining about Conner last night, you didn't say anything."

"There's not much to complain about. He wakes up screaming for food then screams for about half an hour then goes to sleep. Wakes up two and a half hours later to do it all over again."

"That's odd."

"Do you and Lola hold him while he's doing all this screaming?" Shirley asked.

"She won't let us." Cyborg began fixing Starfire's tea and Christopher's orange juice. "She's determined to break him like she did Cal."

"He's not a wild stallion. She didn't break him."

"He can't get away with nothin."

"I had your mother trained from an early age." She washed her hands before putting the biscuits in the oven.

"And she married a corpse..."

"Stop that. Your mother was a good person and a good woman. I didn't have to approve of her choice but it was her choice. I don't know what she saw in your biological father but there wouldn't be a you without him so I'm grateful."

He smiled warmly. "Thanks, Nana. I guess I can be grateful, too. I happen to like living."

"I know that's right!"

#happyholidays

The doorbell rang after training so a still sweaty Changeling went to answer it. It was Melvin, Timmy and Teether. "Hey, guys!"

"You stink." Timmy said straightaway.

"I smell like a man." Changeling's voice dropped as he flexed.

Teether laughed. "I wanna smell like a man!"

"Well come on up and I'll put you to work!"

Melvin wrinkled her nose as her brothers cheered. "Where's Raven and the kids?"